Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog one last time. After nearly seven years here on the blogs(I'm counting my time on the old blogs) I have decided it's time to move on to something different. In honor of this momentous occasion I have decided to resurrect my long dormant feature Random Thoughts(http://www.ign.com/blogs/tmjedi/2011/02/15/random-thoughts-volume-viii-the-return-for-the-end/) where I rant and rave about whatever is on my mind. Without much further ado let's get started one last time.

A Theory about How I Met Your Mother:

I'm both happy and sad about this being the last season of How I Met Your Mother since I've been watching it since the beginning and am kind of seeing the story come to a logical conclusion, Anyways I've come up with a theory (which isn't completely mine( http://www.eonline.com/news/470092/the-how-i-met-your-mother-theory-we-hope-we-re-wrong-about) by the way) that the Mother dies giving birth to Ted's son Luke. This is supported in part by the linked article and also by the episode from a couple weeks ago entitled "Unpause" where we flash forward to the birth of Ted's second child, Luke. In his narration Ted mentions the rule that nothing good every happens after 2 am(since that is when the mother went into labor), the exception being the birth of Luke. Here's the video:

You could see that has simply Ted being glad about his son's birth(which he was), but he says the only exception being Luke, which could possibly be interpreted as the mother dying while giving birth to Luke and Luke being the only good thing that comes out of the night. I could just be grasping here, but let me know what you think.

Some comic series I would like to see: I was thinking of doing a separate post for this, but I decided I can just add it in here. Here a few comic series I would like to see based on preexisting franchises(I have to save my original ideas to write myself)

Reaper: Season 3: Comic book continuation of TV series seem to be somewhat of a trend lately with X-files: Season 10, Buffy: Season, and even a recently announced Heroes series, among other. I think the cancelled-too-soon TV series Reaper could really do with the treatment. The story of ordinary slacker who becomes of bounty hunter for the devil would lend itself well to an ongoing comic series that picks up where the TV series left off. If you haven't watched Reaper, do yourself a favor and check it out.

The Adventures of Bartimaeus: Based on The Bartimaeus Trilogy of books which follows a dijinni named Bartimaeus as he performs tasks for various magicians who call upon his power. There is plenty of unexplored territory that takes place before the books as they take place in the modern times and Bartimaeus has had a career spanning centuries and many different masters across various cultures. An ongoing series with different story arcs involving Bartimaeus' many exploits and adventures might work or perhaps a series of mini-series or graphic novels that each feature a different. Bartimaeus would be the main character with a rotating cast, but there could be other recurring characters, most likely dijinni. Bartimaeus' sense of humor and use of footnotes to go off on different tangent would make for an interesting comic read.

LEPrecon: Even though the Artemis Fowl series of books ended with The Last Guardian a couple years ago, doesn't mean the franchise has to die. In the books LEPrecon is the name of a division of the Lower Elements Police made up of various fairy creatures(Elfs, Gnome, etc) who have been driven underground by humans and who work to keep their existence a secret. LEPrecon plays a role in the books, mostly in the form of the elf Captain Holly Short and her comrades, but I think a series that focuses on other members of the LEPrecon who may or may not have appeared in the books. There is plenty of opportunity for Short and other characters from the books to show up in the series, but I would only use them sparingly and establish new characters as the foundation of the series. The series could take place after, before or even during the events of the Artemis Fowl series and expand the universe . Perhaps releasing it around the same time has to movie(http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/2015_movies/Artemis-Fowl.html) would be a good cross-promotion.

Those are three comic series I would like to see. What do you think of my picks and what comic series would you like to see?

My Best Blog Posts:

Since I'm on my way out I thought I would list what I think are some of my best blog posts(from both the old blogs and MyIGN) in no particular order. I'm linking to all of them so you can take a stroll down memory lane with me if you so desire. Here they are, in no particular order

Thoughts: This one of my most recent posts, but I'm still proud of it. It's actually the prologue to a novel I might try and write this year and I think I did a good job of putting my own spin on the nativity

Thoughts: I'm a big fan of Batman and that's probably why I came up with this idea of a Smallville-esque show focusing on Batman. I like some of the my ideas and I will admit the period piece part isn't completely necessary, but I think it would make an interesting series that I would watch. It seems like Fox is doing something similar with their same-titled show Gotham(http://www.ign.com/tv/gotham), but I can't begrudge them because it is a good idea and I will probably be watching come next fall.

Characters who went out like Chumps(http://www.ign.com/blogs/tmjedi/2011/05/31/characters-who-went-out-like-chumps)

Thoughts: I'm kind of cheating here as this is actually a series of posts, but I really enjoyed sharing what amounts to my Arrested Development fan fiction and the positive feedback I got. Writing my own version of adapting is where I cut my teeth has a screenwriter and while I have moved on to more original projects it was fun to do and share.

Thoughts: I thought I would combine these two since they are kind of connected and have the same basic premise, basically my ideas for DC movies. I really want to see a Super Max movie, because I feel like it would be something different than the normal superhero fare and I thought I had a decent plan for the DC movies, in only they would give me the reins.

Thoughts: I'm combining a couple of posts once again because, like the previous two, these are kind of similar. Both took a lot of work on my part and other bloggers who participated. They were both also really funny to do and show the greatness that is this community.

I Think a Mortal Kombat vs. Star Wars Game would be Awesome(http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/i-think-a-mortal-kombat-vs-star-wars-game-would-be-awesome.174051094/#post-174051094)

Original Post Date:11/19/08

Thoughts: It sucks that in the transition from the old blogs to MYIGN not all of the completely text of our old blog post made it which is why I had to go to the boards to track down this post in its entirety. I'm still convinced a Mortal Kombat vs. Star Wars Game would be cool. I even started a script for the potential story mode.

The Elder Blogs: Welcome to TMJedi(http://www.ign.com/blogs/tmjedi/2010/05/01/the-elder-blogs-welcome-to-tmjedi)

Original Post Date:5/1/10

Thoughts: It was really fun participating the almost blog-wide Elder Blogs stories back in the day. Reading everyone else stories and contributing my own. This was the first of my Elder Blogs stories(if you could consider it a story) and maybe my best. The other stories I did were good, don't get me wrong, but I think I had a unique approach with this one. I may have to go back and read all the elder blog stories now.

Those are some of what I think are my best posts. I've done so many posts over the years and there are plenty of other ones than I'm proud of, but it would take forever to list them. If you can think of any of my post that you liked a lot comment and let me know.

A Goodbye Message: I guess that about does it for me. A giant thank you to everyone who has read my blog and for all those who wrote blogs for me to consume. I should list everyone on here that has made an impact, but there are just too many and I feel like I will leave someone out, so I don't think I will. I do what to mention Bowser-Claws, who I am leaving my Pop Culture Showdown feature to do with it what he pleases. It's been a fun 7 years, but I think it's time for me to move on and try something different in terms of blogging. I will probably be starting up a new blog elsewhere soon, so if any of you are interested in reading that, let me know. I may repost blog posts from there, but no guarantees. I will probably still be around reading blogs and commenting occasional, but for the most part this is farewell.

Hey everyone. I'm back after a long hiatus. I guess I've just been busy living life the last couple of months that I haven't really had the time or inclination to blog or even be on MyIGN that much. Part of it is that I've had writer's block, but I'm trying to push beyond that and as part of that I'm going to try a get back into blogging. I decided to jump back in with something relatively easy: another installment of my ongoing feature Pop Culture Showdown. In case you need a refresher the way it works is that I pit two movies, books, etc against each other and once I have voiced my opinion on which one is best then it's up to you the reader to determine which one is the best. Here are my past Pop Culture Showdown Posts if you are interested in checking them out.

Today, for what might be my last pop culture showdown(more on that later in the post) I have decided to tackle one of the biggest pop culture rivalries: DC Comics and Marvel Comics. I'm going to judging both on the following criteria: Signature Characters, Appearances in Other Media, New Reader Accessibility, Mainstream Recognizabilty, and if a tie-breaker is needed: Personal Preference. Once I've had my say I will then turn it over to you to determine the winner and I will reveal the winners in a later post. Let's get started.

DC Vs. Marvel

Signature Characters:

DC: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Joker, Lex Luthor,

Marvel: Spiderman, Hulk,, Captain America, Iron Man, X-men, Thor

My Verdict: DC has both Superman and Batman, who are probably the most iconic of all Superheroes and Wonder Woman and Flash aren't far beyond in icon status. Marvel has the third most iconic superhero with Spiderman, but beyond that their roster of recognizable characters just isn't as deep as DC in my opinion so DC wins this one.

Winner: DC

Appearances in other Media:

DC: Aside from Superman, Batman and one Green Lantern movie there haven't been a lot of live-action DC movies lately, but they do have a few animated series and the live action series Arrow and in the near-future an Flash series.

Marvel: Marvel has been doing a lot better in the movie department with their Cinematic universe and the X-men and Spiderman movies and they also have a few animated series and a live-action TV show in the form of Agents of SHIELD

My Verdict: DC has been struggling to bring their lower-tier heroes to the big screen while Marvel is rapidly expanded their movie universe. I'm going to have to give this to Marvel based mostly on the strength of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Winner: Marvel

New Reader Accessibility:

DC: DC recently rebooted their whole line of comics with The New 52 which I think has probably helped them bring in new readers by getting rid of the complex continuity

Marvel: Marvel tried something similar to DC with Marvel Now, but I don't think it was as successful. They do have the Ultimate Universe which is more accessible to newer readers, but as far as I can tell it still has a somewhat convoluted continuity

My Verdict: I may be a little biased here as I have not read a Marvel book in a while, but from the perspective of a reader who doesn't read a whole lot of comics DC seems more welcoming.

Winner: DC

Mainstream Recognizability:

DC: As I mentioned before DC has two big icons in the form of Batman and Superman. Unfortunately they have relied on these to too much in other media, but a lot of people know who other DC heroes are such as Wonder Woman and The Flash and Green Lantern and now Green Arrow, so I think they a decent amount of mainstream appeal on their side.

Marvel: Spiderman and Hulk have always been well known for Marvel but up until the launch of the Marvel Cinematic I feel like the average person didn't really know other Marvel heavy-hitters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

My Verdict: I will admit Marvel has gained a lot of mainstream recognition in the last few years, but in my opinion I think they are just catching up to DC who has decades of recognition behind a lot of their characters.

Winner: DC

Final Verdict: Looks like I don't need a tie-breaker as DC wins hands down for me with a score of 3-1

Overall Winner: DC

So what do you think? Agree with me? Disagree? Let me know in the comments and I will post the results in the next post

A Personal Note: Being absent from MYIGN for the last few months as got me thinking that maybe it's about time I call it quits here. Don't get me wrong. I do love it here and the community is great, but I've been blogging here for over 5 years(when it was IGN Blogs instead of MYIGN) and I feel like a need a change so I'm thinking of starting a blog somewhere else. The transition will probably take place over New Year's as I have a couple more post planned here( including one more Future Installments and a farewell post) and I may repost some of my blog post over here and try to keep reading and commenting on other blogs, but for the most part I will be done. I will keep you posted and thanks to everyone who has been reading this blog over the last 5+ years.

As always thanks for reading and any and all comments are welcome and appreciated. See ya later MYIGNers

Hey everybody. A while back I did a post entitled Some Ideas for a DC Cinematic Universe and in it mentioned the in-development hell movie Super Max, which would follow Green Arrow as he is locked away in a Supervillain Prison. I have to say I love this idea. Not only is it unique but it allows for somewhat of a look into the supervillain world of the DC universe. Anyways I thought I would offer some ideas for it.

Title/Setting : I guess Super Max could work, but depending on where they set the film the name of the specific prison would work better. I think Blackgate Penitentiary would make a good setting and Blackgate has a nice ring to it has a title.

Characters:

Green Arrow: I think Green Arrow would be a good star for this movie. He is not one of the big-hitters of DC, which means he won't overshadow the villains, who really should be the focus of the movie. He also is already established due to Arrow, so there would be no need to delve to deep into his origins. Personally I would like to see a middle-aged Green Arrow in the lead role, one who is more of an anti-hero than a straight-up hero so it makes sense for him to be in the city.

Deathstroke/Slade Wilson: Deathstroke would make a good villain and since he and Green Arrow have a history it would work well. I think if he was modified to make him more of a anti-hero than a straightforward villain, he could even be the main character instead of Green Arrow

Merlyn: If Green Arrow is going to be in it he needs his chief rival.

Dr. Light: He probably wouldn't get a chance to be the villain in any other DC movie so it would good to see him in a secondary role.

Plenty of Cameos: I think half the fun of this movie would be seeing all the different DC supervillains. It would provide the villains would probably wouldn't appear in any of the Flagship movies(Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc) a chance to shine and also having cameos by villains who appeared in previous DC Movies(like the Batman reboot) would draw in more fans.

Other Stuff:

Make it part of the DC Cinematic Universe: This is a given

Set it after the Justice League and other solo hero movies: This goes back to the cameo thing, but by setting it after the solo adventures of Green Lantern. Batman, Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman it allows for their villains to make an appearance. With that said I don't see it being released until at least 2020.

Use it to set up a Suicide Squad: Suicide Squad is a DC Comics team of reformed supervillains working for the government. I think Blackgate would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the members of such a team and establish its origins. A cameo by Amanda Waller as she tries to recruit a team would work. Perhaps the team could even be modified so Deathstroke is kind of an impromptu leader. By trying to establish Suicide Squad within SuperMax it would allow the studio to determine if a solo Suicide Squad movie would be viable

Make sure it has larger repurcussions for the larger DC Cinematic Universe: This goes beyond just establishing a Suicide Squad time. Super Max is being envisioned as somewhat of a prison break movie so say a Superman villain escapes, then the next Superman movie should acknowledge that. Blackgate is located near Gotham so the prison break would also affect Batman as he tries to round up the criminals. If it does well perhaps maybe Green Arrow joins the league in the following Justice League movie.

Perhaps Make it a sequel to the Arrow series(optional): I talked in the DC Cinematic Universe post about folding the tv series Arrow into the greater DC fold and this movie could do help that, by kind of bridging the gaps between the DC movies and Arrow. Obviously they would have to bring Stephen Amell would have to be brought back to stare as Green Arrow and other members of the cast would make an appearance (notably villains). Merlyn and Deathstroke are both featured in Arrow so the actors who play them can also be brought back.

An Alternate Idea:

While we are talking about Arrow I have another idea for how to do something like Super Max, even if its not in movie form. I think a season-long or half-season long or maybe even just a six episode arc on Arrow featuring the same basic idea of Ollie going to a supervillain prison would work. It probably wouldn't feature cameo by other DC villains, but bring back all the villains Green Arrow has faced previously. This storyline could work for the beginning of season 2 if season 1 ends with Oliver going to jail.

Anyways those are some ideas. What do you guys think? Let me know in the comics.

I didn't go into Movie 43 expecting a lot. The previews made it look kind of dumb, but I thought I would give it a try partly because it had such a large ensemble cast, but also because it looked a little bit different. I have to say I regret that decision as Movie 43 is not worth seeing and squanders it cast in what ultimately amounts to a pointless movie.

I do somewhat like the idea behind Movie 43: a series of shorts put together to make a movie, but unfortunately I didn't like the execution. In my opinion it relied to tried to hard to be funny and relied too heavy on low-brow humor. The shorts really had no real direction and it felt like a mix between one of those Scary Movie-esque movies and a feature-length version of Saturday Night Live, which in this case is a bad thing. The frame story did add a little bit of cohesion, but not enough to save this train wreck.

I'll admit it did get a couple laughs out of me, but they definately weren't hearty chuckles. I did enjoy the Superhero Speed Dating short which had some funny moments, mostly between Batman(played by Jason Sudeikeis) and Robin(Justin Long) who seemed to have a good back and forth, but it still came off as a cheap parody.

In my mind the Superhero Speed Dating short was perhaps the movies only redeeming factor. Some of the other shorts did get a few laughs from me, but mostly made me cringe at how hard they tried to be funny. The Catch and The Proposition in particular somewhat repulsed me. The Catch was essentially one long joke about Hugh Jackman having balls on his neck(sorry if I ruined the surprise) and nothing else. The Proposition wasn't much better, going for a bunch of hackneyed poop jokes and ending in a somewhat predictable way. I enjoy Chris Pratt's work on Parks and Recreation, but in this he is not given much too work with, which is a shame.

All in all the laughs in Movie 43 are far and few between, unless you really like low brow humor. What had the potential to be a great movie was bogged down easy setups and in my opinion a lack of good ideas. I wouldn't waste my money seeing it in theaters and I probably wouldn't bother with a DVD rental either.

Score: .5(atrocious)

An explanation of my rating system: I have decided to be a little different and rate my review material on a 0-3 scale in .5 integrals. So for example 0 is horrifically awful, .5 is atrocious 1 is sub par 1.5 is mediocre 2 is great, 2.5 is near perfect and 3 is obviously perfect. I don't plan on giving to many 0s or 3 unless the review subject is truly worthy of them.

Hey everyone. I know its been awhile but I have decided to return to my humble blog. I'm a big fan of both Batman and the Joker and thus I have been reading the Batman comics crossover storyline "Death of the Family" and as it starts to wind down(it concludes with Batman #17 next month) I've been thinking about the title, specifically the word "Death" Obvious that does not bode well for Batman's supporting cast so I thought I would take a look at Batman's key allies and offer my thoughts on who likely to survive this storyline and who could get the ax(or the crowbar) at the hands of the Joker. I will offer reasons for and against theirs as well as my estimated probabilty they will survive.

I haven't read all the tie-in book(notably the Batman and Robin issues), but I will try to come up with good thoughts for each character. Let's begin.

The Most Likely Candidates:

#1: Nightwing(Dick Grayson)

Reasons for his Death: Dick is Batman's longest standing ally(if you don't count Alfred) so his death would be a tremendous blow to Batman. His death could pave the way for someone to take on the role of Nightwing.

Reasons against his death: Dick may be Batman's oldest ally, but he has also established an identity outside of Batman which I think helps his chances of surviving and I don't think they would try to bring in a new Nightwing.

estimated chances of survival: 6 in 9

#2: Batgirl(Barbara Gordon)

Reasons for her Death: As far as I know(correct me if I'm wrong) the other two notable Batgirls( Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown) have not shown up in the New 52 continuity so Barbara's death would allow one or both of them to return. Also she's one of the only non current or former Robins associated with Batman and Joker has already killed a Robin(Jason Todd) so him killing Barbara would be something different thant what has already been done.

Reasons against her Death: Barbara's not as connected to Batman as the other characters and she was also already paralyzed by Joker so I don't really see him killing her.

Chances of Survival: 5 in 9

#3: Red Robin ( Tim Drake)

Reasons for his death: Out of all Batman's allies Red Robin seems the most superflous to me. His identity does stray much from the Robin role like Dick's Nightwing or Jason's Red Hood. He is also the only supporting character without his own solo ongoing series so it would be too hard from an editorial standpoint to kill him since you won't have to deal with how it affects another publication. He is involved with the Teen Titans, but someone else can replace him on the team and I think be nice to have his death effect both the Teen Titans and the Bat-family

Reasons against his death: Killing Tim might make it too much like when Joker killed Jason.

Chances of Survival: 2 in 9

#4: Robin(Damian Wayne)

Reasons for his Death: Damian is the only member of the Bat-family actually related to Batman so his death might mean a little bit more. His death might also be used to put Tim Drake back into the role of Robin so he is not so superfluous. It could also lead the way for a female Robin in mainstream continuity.

Reasons against his Death: Besides Tim Drake, who seems to be doing ok as Red Robin, there is no other person to take his place. He is also the newest addition to the Batman continuity so I don't think they would kill him before exploring his character more.

Chances of Survival: 4 in 9

The Less Likely Candidates:

#5: Red Hood(Jason Todd)

Reasons for his death: On some level The Death of the Family storyline has been about Joker revisiting his past with Batman and the first couple Batman issues dealt with him revisiting old crime so what better way to do that than rekilling Jason Todd.

Reasons against his death: He's already been killed by the Joker.

Chances of Survival: 7 in 9

#6: Alfred Pennyworth

Reasons for his Death: Alfred is like a father to Bruce so his death would hit especially hard and offer a twist for readers expecting it to be one of the former or Batgirl

Reasons against his death: I don't know if his death would have much of an emotional impact for readers as if someone else died.

Chances of Survival: 8 in 9

#7: Commissioner Gordon

Reasons for his Death: Commissioner Gordon's death would offer a surprise twist.

Reasons Against his Death: Like Alfred's death I don't think Gordon dying would have as much emotional impact as the other. The Joker is specifically targeted those he thinks have made Batman weak and I don't think Gordon particular fits that bill.

Chances of Survival: 8 in 9

The Unlikely, but Possible, candidates

#8: The Joker

Reasons for his Death: It is highly unlikely, but Batman ending up having to end the joker's reign of terror once and for all would be a good way to end this storyline. I think the Death referred to in the title is both a literal death and a figurative death, meaning, in my opinion, there is going to be some kind of falling out between Batman and his allies. The whole "Joker knowing everyone's identities" thing is a hint at this, but perhaps Batman killing Joker in cold-blood would help further sever the bonds with his family.

Reasons against his Death: The Joker is Batman archnemesis and even if Batman does kill him fans know he will be coming back, so that takes all the suspense out of his death. The Joker had been absent from the new 52 for nearly a year before Death of the Family, so killing him after only a couple months getting back doesn't make a lot of sense either.

Chances of Survival:8.5 in 9

#9: Batman (Bruce Wayne)

Reasons for his Death: It would offer an unexpected twist.

Reasons against his death: Batman was killed a brought back not that long ago, so killing him again would simply be a rehash of that and like Joker there is no question he would be back so there wouldn't be a whole of lot suspense. Joker's plan is to get rid of Batman's allies so he can get back to the way things were between him and Batman, so it doesn't make too much sense for him to kill Batman. I really just put Batman into the lineup to cover my bases.

Chances of Survival: 8.9 in 9

Additional Thoughts: As of now my most likely candidate to die would be Tim Drake, although I do think more than one person could possibly die by the end of this. If Batman does kill the Joker at the end of Death of the Family, Joker will undoubtedly find a way to have the last laugh. The could possibly come in the form of recreating the accident that created him and turning on of Batman's allies into a twisted doppelganger of himself. My guess would it would be Jason Todd because took on Joker's old identity so it would be kind of a roundabout thing. Perhaps the twisted doppelganger thing is Joker's plan all along and Batman will be forced to kill one of his own allies. I do think the death will be both literal and figurative so I expect someone to die as well as the fracturing of Batman and his allies.

Those are my thoughts on who will die at the end of Death of the Family. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Who do you think will die? Let me know in the comments.

That does it for this post. I'm going to try to get back into blogging more regularly so expect another post within the next week or so.